He studied from 4pm in the evening till 12pm at night and again from 3am early in the morning till 8am every day. His odd hours of studying were not because it suited his lifestyle, but because he had to attend school and work as a labourer during the day.
Well, this is the inspiring journey of 19-year-old Umer Ahmad Ganie from Zagigam in Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The youngster beat all odds to crack the NEET UG 2023.
As he could not afford private coaching for NEET, he worked as house painter to buy NCERT books. He worked during day and focused on self-study during free time. Such was his dedication that his hard work finally paid off and he cracked NEET with flying hours.
However, it wasn’t a journey of roses for Umer. Even as he worked as house painter, his earning was hit after Covid-19 pandemic took over the world and it severely affected his studies.
“I come from a family which is not financially strong. I had to work as a daily wage labourer all while attending school. My father was over the age of 50 when I was in Class 9, therefore I had to work hard to make sure that my family was financially supported. It was in Class 10 when I heard the news of a boy clearing NEET and becoming a doctor from my district. That motivated me to prepare for the entrance test and I chose the Science stream in Class 11,” he was quoted as saying to Indian Express.
Determined Umer now wishes to get admission to a government medical college in Kashmir itself so that he can study and stay with his family.